Since the formation of specialised police forces in the nineteenth century, a key philosophical point has persisted in much of the policy debate surrounding the functions and powers of the police. Is it preferable for police to operate in a primarily reactive fashion, that is, to assist when called upon to do so, and not otherwise, or to act in a proactive fashion and seek to prevent crime before it happens?

The discussion of DNA evidence forms part of an ongoing debate between law and forensic science. When discussing the DNA profiling technique one has to consider the use of novel scientific techniques as well as the presentation of forensic evidence to the courts. This discussion highlights the fact that forensic science makes an important and everincreasing contribution to the investigation of crime and successful prosecution of offenders.

In July 1995 The Minister of Correctional Services, Dr Sipo Mzimela, announced that the Department of Correctional Services was to be demilitarised. The minister stated that demilitarisation will have important psychological effects on ""inmates, personnel and the whole country."" He reasoned that the Department is an "" .. institution where we help people to change their behaviour.

Four distinct theoretical paradigms have engaged each other in offering competing accounts of the origin, nature and consequences of crime in Nigerian society. Although these paradigms are universally recognised, the circumstances of their adoption in Nigeria, their implicit and explicit assumptions about the nature of Nigerian society, and their discourse on the origin and remedies of crime in Nigeria are unique, and therefore serve as the focus of this paper.

In Nigeria a capitalist system predisposes its citizens to circumstances and conditions that promote criminality. The Nigerian economic policy places those in disadvantaged positions to compete less favourably for the wealth of the nation than those in advantaged positions.

There is little dispute about the necessity for correctional reform in South Africa. This paper does not seek to enter directly into the debate about which reforms are most desirable. Instead it points out the limitations and constraints, both practical and ideological, of any such reform.

In September 1995 the Dutch Government published a paper on its future drugs policy and in spring 1996 this paper was discussed in parliament. The reasons for this were many and diverse. Since the last important reform of the Dutch Narcotics Act in 1976' a lot had changed in society, new kinds of drugs and drug-use had spread and the Dutch drugs policy was put under pressure.

The sexual abuse of children is a crime with serious consequences for the victims, their parents and families. Although there has been an increase in research on this phenomenon over the past two decades, it mainly concentrated on the victim and the offender, while the prevention of this crime and especially the important role that parents can play in this regard, were ignored to a large extent.

The United States has a long history of violent crime. Its extraordinarily high level of violence is unique for a society with a high degree of political stability. Thus it is not surprising that the American criminal justice system is very much concerned with deterring and punishing violent behavior and incapacitating dangerous offenders.

The increasing tendency towards white-collar crime in South African companies (Wilmot,1994) and large amounts of money involved have led investors and the public in general to question whether enough is being done to prevent this problem.

To date, few formal studies have been conducted on the male batterer, and virtually all of these studies have been conducted in the United States, Australia and Britain. At least two studies in South Africa, namely those conducted by Padayachee (1989) and Lawrence (1984) have inquired into battered women's perceptions of their batterers' history and behaviour, but no comprehensive study has been conducted on the batterer per se.

In 1996 Maree, Joubert and Prinsloo identified the grounded theory method of research as a workable research method for criminological research. They gave an exposition of the methodological substructure that illustrated a tapestry of different scientific philosophical perspectives, such as the qualitative approach, interactionistic perspective (symbolic interactionism) and the grounded theory approach.

In South Africa crime is one of the four most important strategic challenges facing the country (Esterhuyse 1996). South Africa's porous borders, the opening up of the country with the lifting of sanctions and mass unemployment make the country a springboard for internationally organised crime.

The guarantee of individual human rights forms the basis of the (final) South African Constitution. The question of children's rights within the broad ambit of human rights seems, however, to be neglected despite the fact that certain children's rights are guaranteed vide section 28 included in chapter 2 (Bill of Rights) of the Constitution.